Beverage dispenser with in-bowl whipper

ABSTRACT

A beverage dispenser having an in-bowl whipper assembly which includes a housing disposed in the bowl and immersed in the beverage, a magnetically driven impeller in the housing, and a discharge passage from the housing connected to the spigot of the dispenser to discharge the whipped beverage from the bowl.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,920,163

Brown Nov. 18, 1975 BEVERAGE DISPENSER WITH lN-BOWL 3,119,531 l/1964 Jacobs 222/318 WHIPPER 3,385,413 5/1968 Jacobs et al. 222/318 X 3,390,860 7/1968 Kavanau 222/529 X [75] Inventor: Merle S. Brown, Cohasset, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Jet Spray Cooler, Inc., Waltham, primary EXaminer Robm-t Reeves Mass" Assistant Examiner-Larry H. Martin 22 Filed; Ju|y 11, 7 Attorney, Agent, or FirmWolf, Greenfield & Sacks [21] Appl. No.: 378,210

[57] ABSTRACT 222/190; 222/318; A beverage dispenser having an in-bowl whipper as- [58] Fieid 121 LM sembly which includes a housing disposed in the bowl 261/1316 222/146 and immersed in the beverage, a magnetically driven 318 impeller in the housing, and a discharge passage from the housing connected to the spigot of the dispenser to [56] References Cited discharge the whipped beverage from the bowl.

2,777,675 1/1957 Stelzer et al 222/190 6% ,2 i- T F; "f

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 SheetlofZ 3,920,163

BEVERAGE DISPENSER IN-BOWL WHIPPER INTRODUCTION This invention relates to beverage dispensers 'and more particularly comprises a beverage dispenser having an in-bowl whipper for frothing the beverage immediately before it is discharged. The device has particular application in refrigerated beverage dispensers.

There are at the present time a number of beverage dispensers on the market which have whipper assemblies. Uniformly these assemblies are mounted outside the beverage bowl on the discharge spigot. These assemblies have several disadvantages. First, because the whippers are mounted exterior of the bowl and consequently are not refrigerated, any beverage which is left in the whipper may become warm and if left there long enough may spoil because of a build up of bacteria. Second, with external whipper assemblies the on-off valve is disposed between it and the bowl, and consequently the operator must shut the valve before the cup is filled and approximate the volume of beverage in the whipper housing, and frequently the cup either overflows or is not filled. Third, the external whipper assemblieswhich normally are attached to the bottom of the discharge spigot necessitate lowering the drip tray to accommodate this extra attachment on the front of the machine. Fourth, even though the whipper assemblies in the prior art are mounted externally of the bowl, they are not ordinarily readily disassembled, and consequently they. are difficult to clean. Fifth, the whipper assemblies of the prior art ordinarily have a shaft which projects from the dispenser base into the whipper housing, and the shaft seals are prone to wear and cause leakage.

In accordance with the present invention all of the disadvantages of theprior art devices described above are eliminated. Because the whipper assembly is disposed within the refrigerated bowl, the beverage which remains in the whipper assembly does .not become warm and/or spoil. This is particularly important for dairy based drinks. The on-off valve islocated downstream of the whipper, and therefore the operator need not approximate the contents of the whipper assembly in determining when the valve should be closed. Furthermore, the whipper of the present invention may be dropped into the bowl and does not require that. the housing or drip tray be modified, and it can be removed conveniently for cleaning. Furthermore, there are no shafts which extend into the whipper housing that necessitate seals which may wear and leak.

In the present invention the whipper includes a housing which is disposed inside the beverage bowl, and the housing in turn includes an inlet which is in constant communication with the bowl and a discharge passage which is connected to the spigot of the dispenser. An impeller, in the housing is magnetically driven by a motor and drive magnet located outside the bowl within the dispenser base. The blades on the impeller cooperate with fins in the housing to cause awhipping action of the beverage. An air inlet tube is connected to the housing and its upper end is located above the beverage in the bowl. Air is entrained into the housing through the tube to further froth the beverage.

The several features and advantages of this invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF FIGURE DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, showing a beverage dispenser constructed in accordance with the inassembly housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The beverage dispenser shown in the drawing includes a base 10 and bowl 12 which typically may be like the beverage dispenser shown in copending application Ser. No. 263,783 filed June 19, 1972 now U.S. 1 Pat. 3,822,565 entitled BEVERAGE DISPENSER and assigned to Jet Spray Cooler, Inc. The bowl has a dis charge spigot 14 through which the beverage in the bowlis dispensed to a cup or other container. The spigot is controlled by a pinch tube 16 made of flexible material such as rubber and push handle 18 pivotally supported beneath the bowl and having a finger 20 which pinches the tube to close it when the handle is released. When the handle is pushed rearwardly as suggested by arrow 22 in the drawing, the finger releases the tube and the beverage in the bowl may flow into the cup.

The beverage dispenser includes a refrigeration system having an evaporator 23in the bowl in heat exchange relationship with the beverage to cool it, The

:other parts of the refrigeration system including a con- The whipper assembly 32 rests on the'bottom wall 30' of the bowl 12. The assembly has a generally circular housing 34 open at bottom 36 which defines a whipping chamber 38 that houses an impeller 40 that includes blades 42, backup plate 43, driven magnet 44 and frame 45. A plurality of fins 46 are carried on-the inside of the housing within chamber 38 and cooperate with the impeller blades 42 when the impeller rotates to whip up the beverage which enters the housing. It will be noted in FIG. 3 that blades'42 and fins 46 are turned toward one another with respect to the direction of rotation of the impeller and thatblades 42 extend radially beyond the fins to enhance the whipping action.

' The housing has an inlet 48 which is open to the beverage in bowl 12 so that the beverage may flow freely into the chamber 38, and housing 34 also includes a discharge passage 50. The impeller frame 45 secured to shaft 47 is eccentrically suspended in chamber 38 to form a volute that increases in size from inlet 48 to passage 50. A number of vertical ribs 51 (six in the embodiment illustrated) attached to the housing 34 occupy the volute at its wider end, and the width of ribs '51 increase successively toward outlet passage 50.

3 These ribs further increase the churning and whipping action in the chamber as the impeller rotates.

tn the embodiment shown a feeder tube 52 directly connects the discharge passage 50 with the upper end of pinch tube 16 so that the full discharge from the whipper assembly flows directly to spigot 14. In order to position the feeder tube 52 with respect to the pinch tube, feeder tube 52 is upset as suggested at 54. This tserves not only to properly position the feeder tube with respect to the spigot but also serves to level the whipper housing in bowl 12.

.An air inlet tube 56 is mounted on housing 34 and communicates with chamber 38 adjacent discharge passage 50. The upper end 60 of the air inlet tube is located above the liquid level in the bowl. The lower end of the tube within chamber 38 is inclined so as to face discharge passage 50. This creates a low pressure region in chamber 38 to draw air into the chamber as the impeller rotates.

The whipper assembly 32 is driven by motor 62 located in base 10. which carries a drive magnet 64 magnetically coupled to whipper magnet 44 across bottom wall 30 of bowl 12 and the condensate tray 66 which :supports the bowl. The motor is energized by a circuit which includes switch 68 having plunger 70 in the path of push handle 18 when the handle is moved rearwardly to open the pinch tube. Consequently, when the valve established by pinch tube 16 and handle 18 is open, motor 62 is energized, which in turn energizes the whipper assembly. And when the valve is closed by release of handle 18, the motor is deenergized to shut off the whipper assembly.

When the whipper assembly is placed in operation by actuation of switch 68, the impeller rotates, and blades 42 in cooperation with fins 46 and 51 stir the beverage in chamber 38. Simultaneously, as the beverage flows into discharge passage 50, the low pressre region established below air inlet tube 56 causes air to be entrained through the tube to add a frothiness to the whipped drink. When the cup is filled, the operator merely releases the handle which in turn stops the motor and deactivates the whipper assembly. The motor of the circulating system is of course uneffected by this action.

It will be noted that there are no fittings or clamps which seal the whipper housing 34 against lower wall .30 of the bowl. Consequently, when the beverage in the bowl is stirred by the circulating pump 27, beverage will flow around and through the chamber 38 because cf the lack of seals. The open bottom 36 provides substantial access to the interior of the bowl from the chamber 38, and therefore there is no stagnation of beverage in the whipper housing.

The magnetic drive for the whipper performs yet another function. It serves to position the housing in the bowl without the use of any special guides, clamps, or bther such devices. Merely by placing the whipper housing in the bowl, the driven magnet 44 which is suspended from the housing is pulled into registration with drive magnet 64. The mechanism is therefore self align ting and the magnets by their mutual attraction retain the assembly in place. And the upset 54 on the feeder tube further assures that the housing is level in the bowl.

t-laving described this invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications may be made of the embodiment illustrated and described without departing from the spirit of this invention. Therefore. l do not inend to limit the breadth of this invention to the single embodiment illustratedand described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:

1. A beverage dispenser comprising a base and a bowl mounted on the base for containing the beverage to be discharged by the dispenser,

a spigot connected to the bowl through which the bowl contents may be discharged,

a valve operatively associated with the spigot for opening and closing it to control the flow of beverage from the bowl,

a whipper assembly within the bowl and intended to be immersed in the beverage in the bowl,

means for enabling introduction of gas into said assembly on activation of said whipper assembly,

said assembly including a housing having an inlet opening for enabling beverage in the bowl to enter,

an impeller in the housing,

and an outlet passage in the housing connected to the spigot for discharging the whipped beverage,

means including a motor in the base operatively connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller to activate the whipper assembly,

means operatively connecting the valve and the motor causing the motor to activate the whipper when the valve is open and deenergize the whipper when the valve is closed,

and means mounted in said bowl, independent of said whipper assembly for circulating said beverage in said bowl.

2. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 1 further characterized by a driven magnet in the housing and operatively connected to the impeller,

and a drive magnet connected to the motor and located outside the bowl with the drive magnet magnetically coupled to the driven magnet for rotating the impeller.

3. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 2 further characterized by said housing being open on the bottom and said driven magnet being suspended from the top of the housing and exposed at the open bottom,

said driven magnet positioning the housing in the bowl in cooperation with the drive magnet, the drive magnet being mounted in said base.

4. A beverage dispenser comprising a base and a bowl mounted on the base for containing the beverage to be discharged by the dispenser,

a spigot connected to the bowl through which the bowl contents may be discharged,

a valve operatively associated with the spigot for opening and closing it to control the flow of beverage from the bowl,

a whipper assembly within the bowl and intended to be immersed in the beverage in the bowl,

said assembly including a housing having an inlet opening for enabling beverage in the bowl to enter,

an impeller in the housing,

and an outlet passage in the housing connected to the spigot for discharging the whipped beverage,

means including a motor in the base operatively connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller to activate the whipper assembly,

means operatively connecting the valve and the motor causing the motor to activate the whipper when the valve is open and deenergize the whipper when the valve is closed, and an air inlet tube connected to the housing and adapted to extend above the beverage in the bowl and communicating with the interior of the housing 5 adjacent the outlet passage for introducing air into the housing to be used in whipping the beverage in the whipper assembly.

5. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 3 further characterized by fins formed in the housing and cooperating with the impeller for whipping beverage in the housing when the impeller rotates,

said impeller having blades which face the fins in the housing when the impeller is rotated,

and said impeller being eccentrically mounted in the housing to form a volute about the impeller.

6. A beverage dispenser comprising a base and a bowl mounted on the base for containing the beverage to be discharged by the dispenser,

a spigot connected to the bowl through which the bowl contents may be discharged,

a valve operatively associated with the spigot for opening and closing it to control the flow of beverage from the bowl,

a whipper assembly within the bowl and intended to be immersed in the beverage in the bowl,

said assembly including a housing having an inlet opening for enabling beverage in the bowl to enter,

an impeller in the housing,

and an outlet passage in the housing connected to the spigot for discharging the whipped beverage,

means including a motor in the base operatively connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller to activate the whipper assembly,

means operatively connecting the valve and the motor causing the motor to activate the whipper when the valve is open and deenergize the whipper when the valve is closed,

a driven magnet in the housing and operatively connected to the impeller,

a drive magnet connected to the motor and located outside the bowl with the drive magnet magnetically coupled to the driven magnet for rotating the impeller,

and an air inlet tube connected to the housing and adapted to extend above the beverage in the bowl and communicating with the interior of the housing adjacent the outlet passage for introducing air into the housing to be used in whipping the beverage in the whipper assembly.

7. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 6 further characterized by said spigot including a pinch tube and a push handle connected to the valve cooperating therewith to open and close the spigot,

a feeder tube joining the housing outlet and pinch tube to carry whipped beverage from the housing to the spigot,

and the means operatively connecting the valve to the motor including a switch operated by the handle for energizing the motor to run the impeller only when the spigot is open.

8. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 7 further characterized by fins formed in the housing and cooperating with the impeller for whipping beverage in the housing when the impeller rotates.

9. A whipper assembly for beverage dispensers comprising a housing adapted to be immersed in the beverage in the dispenser,

a driven magnet and whipper impeller in the housing,

inlet and outlet passages in the housing for allowing beverage in the dispenser to flow into and be discharged from the housing,

said outlet passage being adapted to be connected to the dispenser discharge spigot,

an air inlet tube connected to a low pressure region in the housing and adapted to extend above the beverage level in the dispenser for entraining air into the housing,

fins formed in the housing and cooperating with the impeller for whipping beverage in the housing when the impeller rotates,

said impeller having blades which face the fins in the housing when the impeller is rotated,

and said impeller being eccentrically mounted in the housing to form a volute about the impeller,

and additional fins in the volute,

means including a motor and drive magnet operatively associated with the impeller for rotating the impeller in the housing,

and means including a circuit for energizing and deenergizing the motor for driving the impeller to discharge beverage from the spigot. 

1. A beverage dispenser comprising a base and a bowl mounted on the base for containing the beverage to be discharged by the dispenser, a spigot connected to the bowl through which the bowl contents may be discharged, a valve operatively associated with the spigot for opening and closing it to control the flow of beverage from the bowl, a whipper assembly within the bowl and intended to be immersed in the beverage in the bowl, means for enabling introduction of gas into said assembly on activation of said whipper assembly, said assembly including a housing having an inlet opening for enabling beverage in the bowl to enter, an impeller in the housing, and an outlet passage in the housing connected to the spigot for discharging the whipped beverage, means including a motor in the basE operatively connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller to activate the whipper assembly, means operatively connecting the valve and the motor causing the motor to activate the whipper when the valve is open and deenergize the whipper when the valve is closed, and means mounted in said bowl, independent of said whipper assembly for circulating said beverage in said bowl.
 2. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 1 further characterized by a driven magnet in the housing and operatively connected to the impeller, and a drive magnet connected to the motor and located outside the bowl with the drive magnet magnetically coupled to the driven magnet for rotating the impeller.
 3. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 2 further characterized by said housing being open on the bottom and said driven magnet being suspended from the top of the housing and exposed at the open bottom, said driven magnet positioning the housing in the bowl in cooperation with the drive magnet, the drive magnet being mounted in said base.
 4. A beverage dispenser comprising a base and a bowl mounted on the base for containing the beverage to be discharged by the dispenser, a spigot connected to the bowl through which the bowl contents may be discharged, a valve operatively associated with the spigot for opening and closing it to control the flow of beverage from the bowl, a whipper assembly within the bowl and intended to be immersed in the beverage in the bowl, said assembly including a housing having an inlet opening for enabling beverage in the bowl to enter, an impeller in the housing, and an outlet passage in the housing connected to the spigot for discharging the whipped beverage, means including a motor in the base operatively connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller to activate the whipper assembly, means operatively connecting the valve and the motor causing the motor to activate the whipper when the valve is open and deenergize the whipper when the valve is closed, and an air inlet tube connected to the housing and adapted to extend above the beverage in the bowl and communicating with the interior of the housing adjacent the outlet passage for introducing air into the housing to be used in whipping the beverage in the whipper assembly.
 5. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 3 further characterized by fins formed in the housing and cooperating with the impeller for whipping beverage in the housing when the impeller rotates, said impeller having blades which face the fins in the housing when the impeller is rotated, and said impeller being eccentrically mounted in the housing to form a volute about the impeller.
 6. A beverage dispenser comprising a base and a bowl mounted on the base for containing the beverage to be discharged by the dispenser, a spigot connected to the bowl through which the bowl contents may be discharged, a valve operatively associated with the spigot for opening and closing it to control the flow of beverage from the bowl, a whipper assembly within the bowl and intended to be immersed in the beverage in the bowl, said assembly including a housing having an inlet opening for enabling beverage in the bowl to enter, an impeller in the housing, and an outlet passage in the housing connected to the spigot for discharging the whipped beverage, means including a motor in the base operatively connected to the impeller for rotating the impeller to activate the whipper assembly, means operatively connecting the valve and the motor causing the motor to activate the whipper when the valve is open and deenergize the whipper when the valve is closed, a driven magnet in the housing and operatively connected to the impeller, a drive magnet connected to the motor and located outside the bowl with the drive magnet magnetically coupled to the driven magnet for rotating the impeller, and an air inlet tube connected to the housing and adapted to extend above the beverage in the bowl and communicating with the interior of the housing adjacent the outlet passage for introducing air into the housing to be used in whipping the beverage in the whipper assembly.
 7. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 6 further characterized by said spigot including a pinch tube and a push handle connected to the valve cooperating therewith to open and close the spigot, a feeder tube joining the housing outlet and pinch tube to carry whipped beverage from the housing to the spigot, and the means operatively connecting the valve to the motor including a switch operated by the handle for energizing the motor to run the impeller only when the spigot is open.
 8. A beverage dispenser as described in claim 7 further characterized by fins formed in the housing and cooperating with the impeller for whipping beverage in the housing when the impeller rotates.
 9. A whipper assembly for beverage dispensers comprising a housing adapted to be immersed in the beverage in the dispenser, a driven magnet and whipper impeller in the housing, inlet and outlet passages in the housing for allowing beverage in the dispenser to flow into and be discharged from the housing, said outlet passage being adapted to be connected to the dispenser discharge spigot, an air inlet tube connected to a low pressure region in the housing and adapted to extend above the beverage level in the dispenser for entraining air into the housing, fins formed in the housing and cooperating with the impeller for whipping beverage in the housing when the impeller rotates, said impeller having blades which face the fins in the housing when the impeller is rotated, and said impeller being eccentrically mounted in the housing to form a volute about the impeller, and additional fins in the volute, means including a motor and drive magnet operatively associated with the impeller for rotating the impeller in the housing, and means including a circuit for energizing and deenergizing the motor for driving the impeller to discharge beverage from the spigot. 